Orchids » moss

Mother’s Day Orchid Basket

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:16:23 +0000

Remember lovingly crafting gifts for mom when you were a child? Whether it was a macaroni masterpiece or a bouquet of tissue-paper flowers, she displayed each handmade present with pride. This Mother’s Day, surprise mom again with a do-it-yourself gift she’ll be delighted to show off. Materials: Basket (I used a large picnic basket) Floral Foam Blocks Green Plastic Garbage Bag 1 4-Inch Pot Fern 1 4-inch Pot Houseplants 2 4-Inch Pots of African Violets 1 4-inch Pot Variegated Ivy 4 Just Add Ice Orchids™ Woody Stems Sheet Moss Bow Instructions: Line the bottom of the basket with a plastic garbage bag to protect table tops from moisture. If the basket is too deep for your plants, place floral foam blocks in the bottom to add height. Place a few ferns to the back, leaving them in their original container so you can reuse them later. This also helps to keep water from leaking through the basket. Next, position pots of African violets and ivy in the front of the basket. That leaves room for about 4 purple orchids in the center of the arrangement. To give the basket some flair, remove the original orchid support sticks and replace them with woody stems gathered from the garden. You can also purchase branches from a craft store or florist. Next, fill in the gaps and conceal the plants pots with sheet moss. Finally, make your orchid basket gift ready with a bow tied to the front.

How to deal with Cattleya Orchids.?

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:53:20 +0000

I bought a minature cattleya orchid (it's bright orange) from BB Barns in Asheville,NC in May 2004. It's now in Greenille,NC. When I bought it it was in full bloom and gorgeous. At first it just put out lots of new leaves and pseudobulbs but no new flowers. It then got severely dehydrated when I went on vacation and the person who was suppossed to water my plants forgot. Most of the leaves are kind of shrivelled and yellowish green rather than dark green. I've got it potted in sphagum moss and make sure it is kept moist and fetilize with Better Grow Orchid Plus and Better Grow Bloom Boost but it still looks like it is dying although I do have some new growth. I have been keeping it in a west facing window except in summer when it moves to a south facing window. I also have three other cattleyas bought more recently whose leaves are turning slightly yellow-green and some of the bottom ones have died. What can I do to bring it back to its former glory?

Repotting Phalaenopsis orchid?

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:50:21 +0000

I bought a Phal from Lowes the other day. It's in flower and I know if I repot it now, I will probably lose the blooms, but it has been in this pot for at least a year according to the attached tag, and the potting medium smells mildewy. If I don't repot it now, will the plant die because of the mold? Please advise, I'm a newbie with orchids!
Thanks!
It looks like sphagnum moss, but it's kinda funky looking, there may be some bark in there.

Phalaenopsis Orchid Plant – repot using moss or bark?

admin — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:07:19 +0000

I will be repoting my orchid this weekend and wanted to know what's best, moss or bark? I also read that I can use bark and mix in some moss, about 20%; is this true? I got the orchid as a gift and the pot it came in doesn't have the holes at the bottom so it's retaining too much water. Two of my leafs died already =( Thanks!

What is the best potting mix for a Phalaenopsis Orchid?

admin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:24:52 +0000

I have one in moss which seems to always be slightly moist, and one in bark that seems to always be dry. the one in the bark is turning dark green from the bottom… it seems dead.

Mushroom like fungus growing from my phalaenopsis orchid???

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:36:24 +0000

There are lots of thin, mushroom like things growing in the pot with my phalaenopsis orchid. I pull them out whenever I find one. They are never too far below the surface of the moss and seem to either be growing out of the moss or out of the orchid bark, and the "root" area is like a little white fuzzball, almost like mold or something. Any ideas? Should I repot the orchid right away? I've been raising orchids for almost 5 years now, and I've had this particular one for almost 4 years; I've never seen anything like this before…. thanks for any help!

Did I over water my Phalaenopsis Orchid?

admin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:48:35 +0000

I purchased a white Phalaenopsis Orchid about a month ago. When I got it, it had 5 healthy big green leaves and 4 blossom flowers and two buds. I put it by a window facing south with moderate indirect light. The flowers were doing well and the buds were blooming. A week after I brought it home, I watered it throughly and gave orchid food. oh, the orchid is planted in moss from store. I was told not to re-pot it while the orchid is in bloom. I first noticed 1 big leaf turned slightly yellow close to the base of the leaf by the root. Then a couple of days later, it fell off. Then the 2nd week, I watered the orchid again without the food. Then I started to notice the flowers were dying one at a time. The leaves are all turning yellow by the base and falling off one at a time. Right now, the center where the leaves used to be turned brownish and yucky looking. The flower stem still looks healthy and most of the root still looks green, but all the flowers fell off. Is my Orchid dying?